The Life Beforehand
by Henry Gale
Summary: What happened the year before Ryan arrived at Newport? Luke, Marissa, Holly, Summer, and Seth are all freshman at Harbor. Caitlin proves to be even more spoiled than anyone knows her to be. The Cohen and Cooper families are living normal, happy lives.
1. Chapter 1

Seth Cohen stood by his locker, attempting to open it continuously. After a couple of times, he banged it very hard until it swung open, slamming right into his face and then back into place. Well, wasn't this a start, he thought. He tried one more time and finally managed to open his locker successfully. He put in his lunch that his mother made for him and a couple of books that the school had asked the students to bring in. More importantly, he hung a picture of his all time crush, Summer Roberts. He looked at the picture carefully, smiling. The girl was perfect. She had beautiful black hair, a very pretty face, a great sense of style, and an excellent body. There was nothing he would change about Summer, except for one thing. He just needed to find out a way for her to notice him. His eyes then slowly trailed off of the picture and onto his schedule, and he noticed that he had bio next. Biology, he thought. Seth already knew biology. There was the water-polo team, the football team, the soccer team, the newspaper staff, the geniuses, and the science club. And then, of course, there was him, the sailing, video game playing, comic book loving, emo geek, who happened to be lowest in the food chain. And now, he was going to experience another taste of his regular life, as Luke Ward and his friends were about to pass by.

"Cohen," he said. He shoved Seth against his locker, and Seth smiled frightfully.

"Hey, Luke, how are you, buddy? Trying out for the water-polo team?"

"Shut up," demanded Luke.

"Shut up? Alright. You know, if that's what you want, Luke, I can do it. You know, I'm all for shu---"

"Do you want me to beat you, Cohen?"

"I should get going, you know, to class. I wouldn't want to be late to my first day. You know how it is---" Luke grabbed him by the throat and held him against his locker. Seth closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. Luke angrily dropped him, and he dashed off to class in a hurry.

"We really ought to piss in his shoes," Luke commented to his friends. He and his group walked to where they were headed.

Marissa Cooper wrapped her hands around seven books, her schedule between the top of the pile and her chin, as she ran down the hall and she lowered the pile of books. As she peeked at her schedule, she realized that she had arrived at her classroom. Slowly walking in, she noticed that her whole class was silently sitting in their seats. Marissa saw the teacher looking down at her desk and quickly slipped to the nearest empty seat, which happened to be right in the middle of her two best friends.

"Coop," whispered Summer Roberts, one of the girls. "Where were you?"

"How did everyone get here so fast?" she said.

"Well," began Holly, the second friend. "We weren't hooking up with Luke." She gave a mischievous smile to Marissa. Marissa smiled back and nudged her in the shoulder.

"Is he in any of your classes?" Summer asked.

"I think we have history and English together, but other than that---"

"That will be enough, Ms. Cooper. It's very nice of you to show up, but if you're going to disrupt this class, you're going to have to excuse yourself," she interrupted as she looked straight at Marissa.

"How did you…?" she asked.

"Marissa Cooper. You're quite a legend here in Newport," the teacher began contemptuously. "Now don't get me wrong, princess, we're glad to have you. But in this school, you're going to have to understand that you can't always be the center of attention."

Marissa blushed and slowly slid down her seat as the whole class stared. Summer looked at her and wiped her finger across her throat, signaling that Marissa wouldn't survive a day in this class.

"Now, as you can see, there are two textbooks on each of your desks. Sorry, Marissa, if I seem to be equating you to everyone else. But you remember the policy."

"Mrs. Goblin, is it?" Summer began as she looked up at the board, rushing to Marissa's defense.

"It's Groblint."

"Whatever. It's been like," Summer paused and took out her phone. She checked the time and put it away in her pants pocket. "Five minutes. And you've already personally attacked Marissa about three times."

"Sum!" Marissa whispered, slightly embarrassed

"Mrs. Roberts, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to exclude you. If you want to be a part of this, I have no problems. There's always room for two." Summer rolled her eyes as Mrs. Groblint walked to her desk and jotted something down on a piece of paper. Holly tore off a note and scribbled something down, and her arm extended towards Marissa's desk.

"Well, Mrs. Cooper. I can see you have a lot in common with your friends. Mrs. Fischer, would you like to read that note to the class?"

"Meh… I'll pass," she said casually.

"Well then why don't I save you the trouble?" She walked over to Holly's desk and picked up the note. She cleared her throat and began to read the note aloud. _Party at my house, eight o'clock. Pass it on._ I'll make sure to remind your parents about the party, Mrs. Fischer, when I speak to them tonight." Mrs. Groblint picked up the note and walked back to her desk, her knees barely moving due to the length of her skirt, and her high heels clicking against the floor.

"This is going to be some class," Holly said, sighing.

"Tell me about it," Summer said.

"Mrs. Cooper," Mrs. Groblint screamed, now writing on the board with her back facing the class. "What did I tell you?"

"At least you're not on the goblin's radar."

Caitlin Cooper sat on a couch in a beautiful living room, almost as big and beautiful as her own room. She grabbed her smooth, light brown hair and tied it into a ponytail. She waited for a moment, until she closed her eyes, now getting ticked off, and screamed for her mother.

"Mom!" she called in an angry voice. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, sweetie!" Julie Cooper rushed down the spiral staircase in her pink sweat suit, brushing her brown hair back and leaving a few strands in the front. "What's going on?"

"Can we go already?" Caitlin insolently asked. "Pearl is waiting for us."

"Caitlin, we already went through this. Pearl is not a healthy horse. She isn't going to make it," Julie began, sighing at the sight of her daughter's face. "God, honey, what is it that you want me to do?"

"I want another horse." Caitlin insisted.

"What?" Julie said as she jumped back, stunned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You're the only reason that Pearl is sick in the first place," she accused. "If you would have just paid more attention to her, none of this would have happened."

"Caitlin, this is ridiculous. It's nothing you can help. I'm sorry about your pony, but---"

"Mommy! I said I want another pony!" she demanded.

"Sweetie. You've had six ponies in the past six months. I'm sorry, but it's not happening."

"This one will last, Mommy! Please?" she begged. "Besides, I couldn't keep Pearl if I wanted to. Brown is out. White horses are in now."

"I'm sorry."

"This is so unfair! I never get what I want!" Caitlin stormed off and walked up the staircase. When she was about halfway up, Julie closed her eyes.

"You can have the pony," she said, rolling her eyes. "We'll talk about it with Daddy later."

"Good." she said with a smile on her face, walking into her massive room. Inside the room was a queen sized bed fit for a queen much older than eleven years old, a night table, a computer, a phone, and a giant closet containing a line of six rotating dressers. Caitlin jumped on her bed and grabbed a remote control from the table next to her. She walked over to her closet and spun around the dresser to her far left, revealing beautiful, expensive clothing in every different color. "Is this from last year?" she said, pointing to a beautiful maroon dress bordered with little jewels. "Ew." Caitlin threw the fancy dress on the floor and walked right over it to jump on her bed. She then pressed a button and her bed began to vibrate. For a moment, Caitlin closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. A few seconds later, though, the vibrating began to make weird noises and slowly stopped. "God, no," she began. "First the whole horse debacle, and now this? I am not having a good day today."

"Kirsten," said a man to a good looking blonde woman. "May I please have the model home?

"Oh, sure, Dad. It's right over there." She pointed her finger to a table across the room, holding a beautiful model of the typical size house in Newport.

"Great. I'm going to borrow that for a while. Are you all set for the meeting?"

"Honestly? Not at all," she admitted. "I mean, do you really think they're going to listen to us? Do we even have a shot?"

"Come on, Kiki. There is nothing to be afraid of. You're smart, beautiful… not the best choice in men, but that's okay."

"Dad. Are you ever going to accept Sandy?"

"Well, for one thing---"

"I would hope so, because we've been married for almost eighteen years. You're just going to have to get used to him."

"I can make no promises. I just don't get along with the man. That damn preacher thinks he knows it all. I can't stand it."

"Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it," she said sarcastically.

"Kirsten Cohen?" called a voice from behind them. She turned around and noticed her secretary calling her. "The files are right here. I can hold onto them for you if you want."

"Oh, thanks, Linda," she said. "I'll just take them now." Kirsten walked over to her desk and looked at the files, satisfied by whatever it was that was written on them. She turned around to face her father, standing there curiously as he watched her read. "You should go, Dad. I need to finish up some things, and then it's time for the meeting."

"Alright. I won't be back for a few hours. Would you like me to bring you back some coffee?"

"Mr. Nichol?" called a voice from behind, this time a man who had just walked into the office. "I'd like to speak to you about the plans for the new project."

"Well I'm sure you do, but I have to go now. I'll see if I can talk about it after the meeting. So long, Kirsten." He leaned and gave her a peck on the cheek, walking right out of the office after that.

"Mr. Cohen," said a man with a deep voice over the phone. "You're a smart man. You can probably pick it up from there."

"Picking it up is not the problem," he began. "The only problem is that we have no case."

"You know he's innocent. You know it. You're not even willing to help."

"Of course I want to help. You know how I feel for these kids. But this one, he has no defense, nothing working in his favor."

"He has you."

"I'm sorry." He hung up the phone and came across a picture of his beautiful wife Kirsten on his desk. He also noticed his golden nameplate with Sandy Cohen engraved into it. He looked down at the paper before him, the words 'Social Services' written on it. He skimmed it and saw a picture of a muscular, tough looking kid with a tattoo and his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a moment, his bushy eyebrows scrunching up, and as he opened them, he discarded the file before him and put it in a box with the word 'rejected' written on it. Sandy, now staring at his closed office door, was immediately interrupted by a sudden phone ring.

"Mr. Cohen," began a woman. "I'm calling about my son, David Weber?"

"Yes."

"There's a problem with the case."

"Please don't tell me…"

"You know him. You saw what he's really like. Isn't there something you can do?"

"I'm going to have to call you back. I'm kind of tangled in another case right now. Listen. We are going to fight this no matter what. He deserves it."

"Thank you, Mr. Cohen," she said honestly, the sound of her voice revealing her to be crying. "You don't even realize how much this means to me."

Jimmy Cooper sat at his desk in his home office. Now that Caitlin and Julie were gone, the house was completely empty, aside from Jimmy's fluffy golden retriever. Jimmy, distracted from his financial planning, turned away from the computer and to his dog, who walked into his office. He began to speak to the dog as he brushed its smooth, golden hair.

"Hey, boy," he said. "Why don't we go for a walk?" He left the office and walked into his room. He put on his sneakers and grabbed a leash, strapping it onto the dog after he returned to his office. He walked it out of the house, and as he left the driveway, a man called his name from down the block.

"Jimmy!" the voice called from afar.

"Greg? Is that you?" He walked over to the man and stuck his hand out, the man happily shaking it.

"How are you folks? Julie, Caitlin, Marissa?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"Good, good. How about you? How's Marianne, and Holly?" he replied.

"They're great. I hear Holly and Marissa have some classes together."

"Yeah, that's what I heard," he said. "It's a good thing they have each other."

"Right. Still, I'm sure they'll make some new friends. So how's business going for you? Everything okay?"

"Business is great right now," he genuinely said. "Everything is perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

A very irritating bell went off, but to Marissa, Summer, and Holly, the sound of the bell was great. The three of them rushed out of class, but were stopped as they walked any further.

"May I please see the three of you?" asked Mrs. Groblint.

"Now what?" Holly irreverently said.

"Watch it, Mrs. Fischer. I'm not some part of your posse, I'm your teacher."

"Did you want something?" said an impatient Summer.

"I wanted to give you three a perspective on what this class is really like. And since you don't seem to understand how a learning atmosphere runs, I'm going to give you a taste tonight. If you open up to page three in your textbooks---"

"You're giving us homework?" Marissa interrupted.

"Page three in the textbook, questions one through ten, typed, to be handed to me tomorrow." The three of them let out a disappointed sigh, and they made their way to the door. "Oh, ladies?" she said, as the three girls turned around. "Welcome to Harbor." Holly, Marissa, and Summer all walked out into the hallway.

"This sucks. I was going to watch the Golden Girls marathon---" Summer obliviously complained.

"Summer! Who cares about Golden Girls? I am so screwed! When my dad finds out about this, I'm done."

"Don't worry, Hol. I'm sure he'll---" Marissa started.

"Coop, are you kidding? Her dad's going to freak." The two of them shot Summer a look. "Oh, I mean, yeah… good luck."

"I can't believe we have to spend the rest of the year sitting through that." Holly said.

"Yeah. I wonder what her problem is anyway." Marissa agreed. Suddenly, a second bell rang. "Oh, shoot, we have to get to our next class."

"Coop? Why are you in such a rush to get to class? We have bio," Summer said. Marissa continued to walk ahead of them down the hall, and soon Holly and Summer saw Luke approaching.

"I can think of a reason why."

"Hey guys? Where are you all coming from?" asked Luke.

"History. You?" Holly said heedlessly.

"French. Marissa, want to walk with me to Bio?" he asked her.

"Sure. Sounds great. See you guys later." Luke and Marissa walked together and started talking to each other, smiling an laughing every few seconds. Behind them, Summer and Holly continued.

"So what are you going to do about your dad?" Summer asked.

"I need to find some way to get him out of the house. But then again, judging that woman, she probably already called."

"Good point."

"Oh, that's our room. Let's go," said Holly. The two of them followed Luke and Marissa into the science room. The class quieted down and after Marissa and Luke sat down, Summer and Holly were the only ones standing.

"Excuse me, the two of you are late," the teacher said.

"Oh, yeah, my locker ladder fell down. It was a nightmare. Holly here had to help me fix it up."

"This is your first day. You don't even have any books," said the teacher, confused.

"I know. I said the same thing," said Summer, as she and Holly found two empty seats and settled in. The teacher stood there staring at Summer, confused.

Seth, now sitting in his seat quietly in his French class, was very upset. Last class, his water-polo friends had done some pretty bad things to him, and he hadn't made a single friend. As the class sat down and the noise lowered, the teacher wrote her name on the board. The noise completely died down and everyone was in their seats. Suddenly, a blonde girl eagerly raised her hand. The teacher turned around and was surprised to see her hand raised.

"Yes?" she said.

"Hi. I'm Taylor Townsend. I just wanted to say that I own this exclusive comic from France, and---" Seth immediately turned to her, shocked to see a girl who read comic books, and shocked to see anyone who read comics at all. But the girl was immediately interrupted.

"How do you say loser in French?" said a stuck up girl, a group of people laughing. Seth turned away from the girl and looked down. Clearly, he was not all the way at the bottom of the food chain, because there was someone else out there who seemed to have it worse then him. He felt badly for the girl, but then again, associating with her would only lower is spot on the food chain, which was pretty hard to do. Seth looked back at the girl, now looking at her open textbook, showing pain from what he could see.

"Hey, Taylor?" said a girl sitting next to her. Taylor immediately turned, desperate for a friend.

"Yeah?" she responded, trying to hide her happiness.

"Ignore them. They can be pretty mean sometimes. Well, all the time actually." The girl smiled at Taylor, who smiled right back. "My name's Ashley. And this," she began, pointing to the girl in front of her. "This is Madison." The girl in front of Ashley turned around and smiled at Taylor.

"Hey, Taylor."

"Hey, Ashley." Taylor had a giant smile on her face. Seth was highly disturbed by this. How could a girl be so desperate? he thought. It was pretty pathetic. I'm not like that when I'm around other people, am I? he thought.

Jimmy walked into the house with his dog, slamming the door shut. Caitlin came running down the stairs, jumping into Jimmy's arms.

"Daddy! You're home!" she exclaimed. "I missed you."

"It's been forty-five minutes, but I'll take it. What's going on?" Julie walked into the room and made her way to Jimmy. She gave him a pack on the cheek.

"Caitlin wants a new horse. Pearl is too sick."

"What a poor child." Jimmy teased.

"Hello? What don't you understand? Pearl is going to die in a matter of days!" she said with emotion.

"Well maybe it's about time," Jimmy muttered.

"Daddy! Bite your tongue!" Caitlin screamed. "I want a new horse. It has to be white, and we need to get it soon."

"Caitlin, what's the rush? School is starting in two days. The last thing you need right now is a horse."

"The rush, excuse you, is that I want a horse. That should be reason enough to rush."

"Honey, money doesn't grow on trees."

"Oh, I know that, Daddy. It grows off of clients. That means that you need to get some more, and fast."

"Caitlin, sweetie, we'll buy you the horse. But the next time, don't expect us to go so easy on you," Julie said. She and Jimmy walked out of the room. Caitlin smiled.

"Oh, right. That's what you said the last time."

Sandy was sitting on his chair in front of the computer screen, reading a file regarding one of his underprivileged clients. He skimmed over the report, revealing the whole story behind his conviction. Sandy turned off the monitor and kicked his feet off of the computer desk, his chair rolling to his regular desk. He took out a picture of the same kid who just appeared on his computer screen and started writing down some quick notes. He picked up the phone and dialed ten digits.

"Hello?" said a woman.

"Hi, Mrs. Weber, this is Sandy Cohen speaking."

"Is everything going well? Please, tell me you have good news," she said desperately.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"What is it? Do you have something, anything we can use?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we have something in his defense. I still need to work on it. Would it be okay if I stopped by your house today?" he asked her.

"Oh, Mr. Cohen, that would be great. I can't even begin to tell you what this is to me. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure. He's a good kid. He deserves it."

"Thank you," the woman said in great joy. Sandy let out a light smile. He could have found the key to this case. It felt so good to put together a family torn apart. Sandy hung up the phone and spun his chair to face the computer screen. He stared at the picture of the kid for a couple of seconds.

"Mr. Nichol, your daughter told us about the changes in the plans. We're not completely positive on what you're looking for us to change," said a shirtless, brawny man in a construction area. Caleb held the model home in his left hand and grabbed the plans the worker was holding into his right. He looked up at the house being built and closed his eyes in frustration .

"Well, I supposed you could simply expand the left well a couple of inches and knock down the little piece standing in its way."

"We could do that, but the piece standing there would lose out---"

"Then simply expand the room from the wall in the front," Caleb said spitefully. "What's the big deal?"

"What would we do for symmetry?" the man asked.

"Well gee, I don't know. Maybe you could try and expand the room on the other side? I don't pay you people to work like this," he said.

"Sorry, Mr. Nichol, it's just that these plans are so---"

"Simple is what they are. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. I'm sorry that I wasted my time." Caleb handed the man the plans and walked to his car holding the model home. As he drove fast away from the construction area, he took out his cell phone and called Kirsten.

"Hello?" she said. "Dad?"

"Hi, Kiki. How is everything going?"

"Great. I just have to finish up a few things, and then I'll start to prepare for the meeting. Is everything okay with the model home?"

"What was I thinking when I hired these people? The questions I got from them were depressing."

"It didn't really look like they grasped onto my idea very well. Is it almost finished?"

"I think so. It's about time, at least. We've been working on this for a long time now. I want to get this out of my way already."

"Well, I just want this meeting to pass."

"Oh, for God's sake, Kirsten, we're going to do fine," he insisted.

"I hope so. We really need to get moving tomorrow. These workers are not doing us very well, and it's about time we get a start on our next project," he said.

"Which is?"

"I can show you when I get back. Meanwhile, you should get back to your work. I'll be back soon. A little earlier than expected, but what do you expect with workers like these?" Kirsten laughed.

"Okay Dad. Bye."

"Kirsten. How about that coffee?"

"Coffee would be great, thanks."

Three women sat inside a small coffee shop. The first, Taryn, had been talking to the other two for a long time now, and the other women were getting restless. Taryn looked outside the window for a moment. She saw a cute man walking alone down the street. She smiled at him and put her hands on her chest, slowly lifting her bra. The man gave her a terrified look and walked away.

"What's that, mommy?" said a young girl to her mother, now walking next to the window in which Taryn was sitting next to.

"They call them Newpsies."

"What does that mean?"

"It means trouble. Now, let's get out of her, Samantha, before they catch us." The mother and daughter quickly strolled away. Inside the coffee shop, Taryn continued to talk.

"So girls, I'm planning the black tie event for the month. Should we do Vegas Night?"

"Taryn," said the second woman, Betty. "Don't you think we should wait for Julie? She pretty much runs these kinds of things."

"She's right. Newport pretty much revolves around Julie Cooper," said the third woman, Joan.

"Well, Newport can survive without Julie Cooper. We're going to have to change things up a bit, because what Newport needs is me," said a frustrated Taryn.

"All right, then. Why don't we start planning?" said Betty.

"Great. So I was thinking we do something… Caribbean?" Taryn asked.

"Well…" Betty said.

"I know, I'm excited too. I have to go home and plan. See you two later." Taryn picked up her purse and walked out. The two women gave each other a look.

"I don't think she can do it, Betty. She's in way over her head."


	3. Chapter 3

Inside of the French classroom, Seth sat on his desk with his head buried in his arms. The rest of the class was sleeping, if not throwing paper airplanes or shooting spitballs at Taylor Townsend.

"Could you stop?" Taylor said to the girl behind her. As she turned around, another spitball, this time coming from in front of her, hit her directly in the face. She closed her eyes in frustration and put her head down with a frown.

"Purple shirt," Seth began. The girl sitting near Taylor looked at him. "Yeah, you. Would you mind stopping?" Taylor turned to Seth, surprised. She gave off a slight smile.

"Oh, please. Are you with this loser, or against her?" said the girl. Seth opened his mouth, but no words would come out. He had to make a decision. Was he going to ignore everything that was going on, or would he take action and possibly ruin his already low reputation? Seth looked at Taylor, a slight frown on his face. He looked at her for a few seconds until the bell went off, sending him scurrying out of class. Everyone in the class piled up their books and walked out of class, all smiling and laughing with another person. She just stood there, no one else remaining in the class, except for Seth, who she didn't even notice.

"I really am the biggest loser." She gathered her things and walked out of class.

Seth watched her leave the classroom, slightly upset to see her like that. But as much as he wanted to help, he couldn't, because half of those girls laughing at her would be his friends once he got his dream date with Summer Roberts.

He grabbed his books and jammed them into his aged out of shape backpack. As he left the room, he noticed another group of girls who associated with Summer pointing to him and whispering. It was such an uncomfortable situation for him. He sometimes thought about giving up with Summer, and now that he had someone else like him, he didn't have to be all alone. Still, he felt like he had some hope left, and he wasn't going to throw it all away just yet, although there wasn't much he even had to throw away.

As he continued to walk down the hallway, right past the pointing and staring, haunting flashbacks jumble through his mind. He remembered all of the disappointing things in his life, including his bar-mitzvah in which nobody even showed up to, his constant interactions with the water-polo team, and especially just the fact that his parents actually believed that he was happy in Newport. His life was such a letdown. If only he could be someone else, like Luke, maybe. Luke Ward had everything. He was the highest on the food chain, and not only did he have Marissa Cooper, Newport's princess to be, but he was the captain of the water-polo team, a straight out implication that he had the most respect in the school. The one thing Luke didn't have, though, was sailing. For once in his life, Seth was going to use one of his bizarre talents and hobbies to his advantage. One day, Seth was going to get on his boat and follow his dream of getting out of Newport and going straight to Tahiti. Whether or not Summer was to come with him, Seth needed to get out of Orange County. But he wasn't going to go yet. He was going to give it some time, because although there was no chance of his year improving in the least bit, he wouldn't let himself leave jus yet. He would wait until the summer to get away from everything.

"Are you kidding me?" Marissa said to another girl walking beside her.

"I know, right?" said the girl.

"Oh, yeah. Alyssa? Do you know where we try out for Social Chair?"

"Well, my sister was it last year. I'll ask her."

"Wait. Nicole Zaretsky is your sister?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah. You know her?"

"Alyssa, she's like a legend at Harbor. Of course I know her."

"Well, I'll talk to you later about it. See you." She smiled at Marissa and walked away. Marissa continued down the hallway, walking to her locker. A girl passed hr by and waved. It seemed as if the whole school knew Marissa by now, and a good number of them were becoming good friends with her. She reached her locker and noticed she had a free period. She dropped her books down by her locker and approached Summer, standing at the opposite end of the hall.

"Move it, loser," said Summer to a lightheaded Seth. "I have places to be."

"Hi, Summer. Seth Cohen. Pleasure to meet you." Seth stuck out his hand and she shot him a harsh look. He slowly took his hand back. Summer walked right past him, slamming her shoulder into his.

"I think she likes me."

Marissa gave a slight frown, feeling bad for Seth. She followed Summer into the library, where Holly and her friend Elaine Chapman were sitting. Summer and Marissa sat at the library table.

"Guys, you will not believe this. I think I have a plan. I can save this party!" said an excited Holly.

"Well…" said Marissa.

"What's the plan?" Summer asked.

"You know that girl Jess Sanders?" Holly asked.

"Who the hell is that?" said Summer.

"Oh, no. Sum, you remember Jess. She's the one that I was really good friends with, until she trashed my house last year. My parents killed me for that."

"Well, anyway, she just moved next door to me. I called my dad and told him she's going to come for a couple of minutes. She has this thing that she can attach to the answering machine. Basically, I can delete messages from the house through my cell."

"Holy crap, Holly! You're saved!" Summer said.

"You really lucked out, you know," said Elaine

"Hey, Elaine, do you know what happened to Kevin? Luke's been looking for him for a long time."

"We… we broke up a couple of days ago. I haven't spoken to him since."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Marissa gently patted Elaine on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it guys. This party will totally rock, and we can forget about all of our pathetic little problems."

"Sum's right. This party is going to be great. I just have to delete the message. Hopefully, my father didn't get it yet." Holly took out her phone, dialing the ten digit number. She waited for the answering machine to pick up, and dialed 1 as Jess had instructed her.

"_Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Fischer. My name is Mrs. Groblint. I teach you daughter Holly's history class, and I'm sorry to say that we're having some major problems. Constant talking is preventing the class from learning. Perhaps if you stop spoiling your daughter, and teach her---"_ Holly dialed 7. _"Message Erased."_

"Well, that was easy. I'm so glad my dad didn't find it yet."

"Hold up, Holly. You're dad might have listened to it and left it on the answering machine," said Elaine.

"Trust me, he would have called."

"Okay, me and Summer are going to get something. You guys want to come?"

"I'll go," Elaine volunteered. The three of them walked out of the library. As they did, Jess Sanders walked into the library from the opposite side. She approached Holly and pulled out a chair, sitting down in it with that evil look on her face that could scare children away.

"Did you delete it yet?"

"Yes I did. Thanks Jess," she said. "You're a lifesaver."

"So this party, open to everyone?"

"Oh, Jess, you're invited for sure."

"Yeah, I know. I was thinking of inviting a few friends though," she said. "You know, if it's okay with you."

"I don't see why not. A friend of yours is a friend of mine." Jess smiled at her and got up from the chair. She brushed her light blonde hair back as she walked out of the library, her tight denim miniskirt going back and forth as each of her legs moved forward. Holly grabbed her books and got up from the table, leaving the library and heading to her locker.

"Finally, Mom," began Caitlin, filing her nails in the front seat of her mother's Porsche. "I don't see what the big deal is here."

Julie rolled her eyes, trying to hide the frustration she was getting. Caitlin was such a little her, it was scary. The only difference was that when Julie was growing up, she didn't have anything. She had to make a life for herself. Caitlin, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She had everything handed to her, and would probably build a life off a rich, attractive man some day and live in a house even bigger than the one she was living in now. "Caitlin, why don't we have a silent ride? We're almost at the stables and I have a bad headache." Caitlin remained silent for the rest of the ride. After a few moments, Julie stopped at the sight of a big sign reading Windway Stables. She and Caitlin got out of the car, Julie slamming the door shut as Caitlin ran into the stables. Julie hurried in trying to catch up with Caitlin, who had already reached her horse's stable.

"Pearl, don't be scared. Mommy's going to be fine. Besides, this gives me a chance to be in style this season and have a white horse."

"Caitlin, the manager is over there," said Julie, pointing to a man standing outside one of the stables. "Why don't we go talk to him?" Caitlin smiled and Julie gave a false smile back. Caitlin rushed ahead, and Julie stood there with an angry look on her face.

"Hello, young lady. How may I help you---"

"White. It has to be white. Oh yeah, and no spots or anything. Just solid white. Has to be fast… I'm a daredevil."

"Caitlin, give the man a chance to breathe," said Julie, smiling at the man in trying to get past the awkwardness. "Hi, we're here to buy my daughter a new horse. Our old one---"

"_My_ old one," corrected Caitlin. Julie let out a small laugh, trying to ignore Caitlin's comment.

"I think I know the just horse for you two---"

"The horse just for _me_," Caitlin corrected once again, turning her head to her mother as Julie let out a sigh. "It's my horse, Mommy, not yours."

"Well excuse me then, young lady. Why don't you two… or why not just you, little girl, come over here. I'm going to show you a horse that fits your exact description," said the man.

"Where is she?" Caitlin asked. The man led her to the last stable, where Caitlin observes a fine looking horse. She began to pet the horse after a few moments. "Nice color, tan, smooth, the left hind leg sticks out a little… I'll take it."

Julie was filled with relief. Finally, this horse business was over. Caitlin had been obsessing about Pearl for the past month, and now it was all over. But then again, the last time Caitlin bought horse- or the last five times, for that matter- it died in one month.

"All right, sweetie. You got your horse. Now what do you say to the man?"

"What's her name?"

"Thank you---"

"I _said_ what's her name?" Caitlin said demandingly.

"She's called Snowcone," said the man.

"Snowpea? What kind of name is that?" Caitlin said, disgusted. "How about Snowball?"

"Thank you very much. You can call us about the payment," Julie said as she smiled at the man. She turned around and put her hand on Caitlin's back. As the two of then into the car, Julie opened her mouth, about to come down on Caitlin, but Caitlin blasted the radio, Julie jerking her head back. "Caitlin! Turn that down!" she yelled.

"What?" Caitlin replied. Julie pushed the radio button off and Caitlin turned to her. "Hey! I was listening to that!"

"Caitlin, I am sick of this. Sure, you may have Cooper blood in you, but sweetie… you've taken spoiled to a whole new level!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caitlin snapped. "I thought I was your little princess."

"Caitlin, you were my little princess- when you were five years old. You're in fifth grade now, honey. You can't keep asking us for things like these. You're going to have to fend for yourself one day, you know," said Julie.

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that your father and I are going to start being much more strict with you. You've asked for way too many things, from dresses to ponies to cell phones- it has to end. You need to limit yourself to the things you ask for, or just figure out a way to get them for yourself."

"You mean like a, a j-job?" she asked, terrified. "Mom---"

"Enough, Caitlin! It's not like we're asking that much from you!"

"Are you kidding me, Mom? You're practically _disinheriting_ me!"

"I'm warning you, if you don't stop this bickering right now, you're going to have to stay home from Caribbean Night!"

"Oh, poor me," she teased.

"Fine. Then you can sit in your room all night."

"Please, as if that's going to teach me a lesson. I have Tivo in my room, Mom," Caitlin said arrogantly.

"We're going to have serious talk, young lady, because if you keep this up we really are going to have to disinherit you," she said.

"Whatever." Caitlin angrily turned her head away from her mother and looked at the view around her, sighing at her mother's attitude.

"Look, Mr. Nichol, Mrs. Cohen, the Newport Group is having an excellent year. I'm truly impressed. But what you're asking for, it's just too much for any company. I'm sorry," said a concerned man dressed a fancy suit, sitting across the table from Kirsten and Caleb.

"Oh, spare me. You haven't even listened to a word we've been saying," Caleb said directly.

"Dad," Kirsten said, embarrassed.

"Mr. Nichol, I'm afraid we're going to have to leave now," said another man, sitting next to the other. The two men got up from their chairs and walked out of the office. After the two of them were long gone, Caleb got up from hi chair angrily and let out a disappointed sigh.

"Don't worry, Dad," comforted Kirsten. "They'll come around eventually."

"We've been working our asses off for this?"

"I know it seems like nothing is happening, Dad, but this is one of our goals. Just because it didn't happen yet, that doesn't mean it won't. We have plenty of things going on around here that are bringing us great success."

"I know, Kiki. I just wish we could have this."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm just relieved it's over," she said comforted.

"You know, it's ironic. If anyone freaked out in there, it was me," he began. "I guess you can say I lost my temper."

"Are you feeling okay, Dad? Because you never admit it when you're wrong."

"Must be the coffee," he suggested. Kirsten let out a small laugh.

"Must be."

Sandy Cohen slammed the door to his black Lexus shut. He put his keys in his suit pocket and knocked on the door to an, old and worn out house. As he waited for n answer, he looked around him, noticing houses similar to the one he was about to walk into, junky old cars, and tattooed, angry men taking out the garbage. One of the men looked at Sandy for a moment, observing his suit, tie, and shoes, and his fancy car. The man threw the bag of garbage to the end of his driveway and made his way into his house. As he did, a woman opened the door in front of Sandy. Startled, he turned around to see the woman opening the door for him.

"Hi, Mr. Cohen," said the woman, wearing sweatpants and a long sleeved, light green shirt with buttons at the top, concealing a bruise slightly below her neck. She quickly put her hand against her neck, afraid that Sandy would see it. "Thank you for coming."

"No problem."

"Please, come in," she said, moving to the side and allowing Sandy to pass. "I'm sure it's not the kind of house you're used to. Sorry about the mess."

"Trust me, this doesn't even begin to compare to some of the places I've seen," he said, smiling. The woman smiled back. "Your husband's not here," he stated.

"No. He went out for a little." She sighed and looked down.

"Oh," Sandy said. The woman now looked up at him again.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked. "Coffee?"

"I'm all right, thanks," he replied.

"Well then, why don't we sit down and discuss the case?" she said.

"Okay," he began before the two of them walked to the filthy, cramped kitchen and sat down at the table. "There might be some complications in the case."

"How so?"

"Well, you know how the last time I met with you, I asked to speak with your son alone."

"Yes," she said.

"Well, it's a good thing I did," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, when I talk to a kid, he tells me more information than his mother does," he said.

"He told you," the woman responded nervously.

"I would have found out sometime or other," Sandy replied.

"Mr. Cohen, I can't testify. You don't understand. No one understands. This is not something that if I stand up to, it will just go away. He is going to kill me," she said tensely.

"Look. It's all clear now. And with the circumstances what they are, Ben has a good shot. But the only way we can do this is if we convince everyone that Ben had a reason in the first place. And there's always the additional bonus of helping yourself out."

"I know it sounds easy, Mr. Cohen. But there's no way he won't find out about this. It's too dangerous," she worried.

"Well, if you're not going to do it for yourself," he began. "Do it for Ben."

Julie slammed the door with anger as she and Caitlin walked into the house. Jimmy came out of the kitchen to greet them and noticed the look on Julie's face.

"Hey guys. What's going on?"

"_You_ wouldn't understand. You're just going to take Mommy's side," Caitlin hissed. She stormed up the stairs and into her room.

"Am I _that_ annoying?" Julie asked Jimmy.

"What?" Jimmy said, confused.

"I mean, of course she's going to turn out a little spoiled, she's a Cooper. But I hope that attitude doesn't come from me."

"Well, what happened? I mean, the last time I checked in with you, you were okay with this horse business," Jimmy said.

"Yeah, I was, until I realized what a mess this is. I mean, yeah, it's never worth the argument when t comes to Caitlin. But if we do keep giving her what she wants, how is she ever going to learn?"

"I don't know. We should really have Marissa talk to her. The two of them can connect a lot better than you do."

"Good point. That was one of the most annoying rides of my life. Obviously I can't handle it. I'll try to catch her after school. She did say she has some thing to go to tonight, though," said Julie.

"Don't worry about it, Jules. Everything will be fine." Jimmy smiled at her and Julie smiled right back. Jimmy leaned in for a kiss, but were immediately interrupted.

"This stupid TV won't work!" screamed a hysterical Caitlin from her room. Julie let out a light sigh, the only thing that would ever come out of her mouth after hearing Caitlin.

"I wish I had an excuse to leave," said Julie.

"You want to leave? Already?" he said.

"Caitlin," she began. "Not you," she said, smiling. "Oh, no, I just realized I told the girls I'd meet them at Joan's. I have to go. Bye Jimmy." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Joan and Betty were now sitting and talking to each other in Joan's living room, each with a cup of coffee on the table between them. Joan picked up her coffee and started to slowly sip it as Betty was speaking to her.

"So, this whole Caribbean thing, you think Julie will be okay with it?" asked Betty as Joan lowered her coffee. There was a knock on the door, and the two women turned.

"I think we're about to find out." Joan got up from her chair and walked to the door. As she opened it, she noticed Julie standing there in her sweat suit and pony tail. "Come in, Julie." Julie walked into the living room and sat down as Joan closed the door. She walked back and sat down in her seat.

"Where's Taryn?" said Julie.

"Oh, she couldn't make it. In fact, we were just going to talk to you. You see, about the event next week---" Joan began.

"I am so excited! I have this whole---"

"Julie, Taryn sort of planned it already," she said with a slightly nervous look on her face.

"She did?" Julie asked, shocked.

"Yeah. And I don't know, the idea is good. It's just Taryn sort of threw it at us. We don't really know where it came from. But it could work out very nicely," Betty said.

"What exactly does she have planned?" asked Julie curiously.

"Caribbean Night," said Betty. Julie's face flared with anger and frustration as she looked down at the floor.

"Is everything okay, Julie?" Joan said.

"You seem… upset," added Betty. Julie looked up at the two of them.

"I have to go. It was nice chatting with you, but I need to take care of something, if you don't mind."

"Oh, go right ahead."

"Thanks, girls. I'll speak to you soon." And with that, Julie left the house in a hurry. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I don't know, she looked devastated," said Betty.

"What do you think she's going to do?"

"Well, she's probably on her way to Taryn right now," she said.

"I don't know, but I think it's going to get ugly."

"Look, everything is great right now. We have no problems at all, Jeff. You're worrying too much," said Jimmy on the phone line.

"Are you sure?" asked the man. "Things just seem… too perfect."

"Well, is that a bad thing?"

"I guess not, Jimmy," he said. "All right, it's probably time I go. I'll speak to you, Jimmy."

"Bye Jeff." Jimmy hung up the phone and left his office, opening the closet near the front door of the house. He grabbed his jacket and put it on as Caitlin crept down three stairs and watched him leave. He closed the door, and Caitlin immediately got up and grabbed her cell phone from her jeans pocket. She dialed a ten digit number fervently and held it up against her ear, waiting for an answer.

"Alexandra? Hi, it's me. My dad just left. I just have to figure out this whole Caribbean Night thing. I don't know. I still don't even know if Marissa is going to be here that night. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. No, Alexandra, that's not it. I want to have this party. Okay, I'm going to talk to you later then. Bye." Caitlin hung up her phone and slipped it back into her pants pocket. She hurried down the stairs and walked into her parents' room, going to her mother's side of the room and prying through all of her stuff. After finally finding the Harbor calendar, she opened it to the September page, noticing that Caribbean Night was on the eighteenth of September. To her luck, Marissa would already be on Freshman Retreat that night. She would have the house all to herself.

Kirsten slammed the door to her Range Rover shut. She walked into a café, sitting down at the closest empty table she could find. A young waitress approached, and just as she was about to order, she noticed Jimmy walking into the restaurant.

"Excuse me for a moment. You can come back in just a minute," said Kirsten, the waitress smiling and walking to another table. Kirsten gave Jimmy a wave, and he walked over to the table and sat down.

"Hey Kirsten," he said.

"Hey. How is everything? Julie, Marissa, Caitlin?" Kirsten asked.

"We're all good, thanks. And yourself?" Jimmy replied.

"You know, we're all right. I've been hard at work lately, but other than that, we're great. So, are you going to order? You might as well join me."

"Yeah, thanks. I was just taking a little lunch break," he said.

"Same here." The waitress walked up to the two of them holding a notepad and a pen in her hand.

"May I help you two?"

"Yes, please. I'll have a caeser salad and a plain squagel."

"Would you like anything to drink with that?" the waitress offered.

"I'm okay, thanks."

"And you, sir?"

"I'll just take the house bread, please," said Jimmy.

"Anything to drink?"

"No thanks." With that, the waitress walked away. "Kirsten, did you just ask for a 'squagel'?" Jimmy asked, puzzled.

"Jimmy, this is Cosi. You have to blend in," she said.

"Yeah, well, I never really got the whole 'squagel' thing around here."

"The last time you tried one was in high school, back when we were dating," she said.

"Those were the days." Jimmy looked at Kirsten until her eyes met with is. Kirsten looked away after a moment in trying to get through the awkwardness. Finally, the waitress returned with their food. She handed Kirsten a plate with a square shaped bagel and Jimmy a plate with a big piece of bread.

"Thank you," Kirsten said as the waitress left, giving her a smile.

"Oh, wow," said Jimmy. "It's already a quarter to one. I just realized I have to be somewhere in half an hour, and I have to call Greg back."

"Well," she began. "If you ever want to have any fun in your life, Sandy and I will be right next door." She smiled at him. Jimmy put down a couple of dollar bills on the table. He got up and walked right out of the restaurant, holding the big piece of bread in his hand.

"Finally," said Marissa as the bell rang. "Lunch." She gathered her stuff and threw her backpack onto her shoulders, waiting for Holly and Summer to join her. The two of them came after a moment, and the three girls walked out of the classroom and slowly made their way to the cafeteria.

"Oh, Coop, Alyssa's calling you. Tell her to come," said Summer. Marissa waved her hand and signaled Alyssa to follow them. She walked to the three of them the best she could, through a roaring crowd of people blocking the way.

"Hey, guys," she said, panting. "Marissa, you need go to room fifteen after school for Social Chair tryouts."

"Thanks. I just wonder if I should." The three of them shot Marissa a look. "What? I mean, there's bound to be someone out there for the job other than me. I mean, there are probably other girls in Newport, just like me." Once again, the three of them shot Marissa a look.

"Marissa, you are every girl in Newport's role model. Even if anyone does show up at tryouts, they're going to leave the second they see you," said Holly.

"You really think so?"

"Hello? You're Marissa Cooper," Holly said. "So what else do you think you're going to try out for, Marissa?"

"I don't know. Dance, Tennis. You guys?"

"I'm also going for tennis," said Alyssa.

"Wait, what everyone is talking about?" asked Summer, confused. "We don't have dance and tennis class in this school."

"Hello! Extracurricular," said Alyssa.

"Again, what?"

"Sum, we mean after-school activities," said Marissa gently.

"You mean you guys actually stay after school for these things? Ew," said Summer, disgusted.

"Yeah, I never really got the whole after-school thing," Holly added.

"Here we are, the cafeteria," said Alyssa as the four of them stopped before a lunchroom full of kids. "Let's get a table." They walked far down into the cafeteria until they found a free table. Alyssa sat on the edge next to Summer, and on the opposite side, Holly sat opposite Alyssa, and next to her Marissa.

"So, how are we supposed to buy food," began Alyssa. "Through all that?" turned around and pointed to a large crowd of people jumping up and down for food.

"It's okay," volunteered Summer. "I'll go." She got up and walked over to the lunch line, cutting right through the crowd of hungry people. She found the nearest group of boys and started touching them, slowly flirting her way through until all the boys let her to the front of the line. She dropped a ten and grabbed a box of four slices of pizza and two boxes of chili fries, an O.C. favorite. "Keep the change," she said to the woman standing by the cash register. She carried the food back to her table and put it down in the middle. She sat down and everyone began to eat a slice.

"Thanks, Sum," said Holly.

"How _did_ you do that so fast, Summer?" asked Alyssa curiously.

"Oh, believe me, she has her ways," Holly said, smiling at Summer. "Holly, these chili fries are amazing."

"That's just because last year's were disgusting."

"We had chili fries last year?" asked Alyssa.

"Lucky for you, you didn't try them. I was sick for like a week," said Summer. "But seriously, just try them."

"I'll try them," said Marissa, putting down her pizza after a big bite. She stuck her hand in the box of fries, trying to pick one out in the cleanest way possible. She took one out and popped it in her mouth. "These _are _good."

"Holly, I suggest you try them for yourself. You can't take the word of someone who doesn't even---"

"Sum! Don't say it," Marissa said.

"Marissa, take this from people who care. You are pretty… thin," noted Alyssa.

"I eat," she said. Summer nodded her head sarcastically and Holly shrugged it off. Alyssa gave Marissa an uncertain look. "Kind of an awkward silence."

"Yeah, it kind of is," said Summer.

"Then why doesn't someone strike a conversation?" asked Holly. But before anyone could strike a conversation, Jess Sanders, in her denim miniskirt and high heels, walked over to the table and sat down right next to Marissa. No one minded her company, except for Marissa.

"Hey people," she said.

"Hey Jess," Holly said.

"So that's who she is!" whispered Summer to Alyssa, laughing a little at the comment.

"This day has been so boring," said Jess. "I could use a party to get my spirits up."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Summer said.

"It hasn't been that bad," said Alyssa. "Has it?"

"Oh," Jess said, grabbing a chili fry from the box rudely. "It's been bad. Right Marissa?" she asked. Marissa gave a nervous look. Things with her and Jess had been so awkward since last year when she trashed Marissa's house. What made everything worse was that she still associated with Holly. "Oh, crap," she said, checking her watch. "I'm going to be late. I told Kyle I'd meet him out back."

"Why are you meeting him out back?" asked Holly.

"No reason," insisted Jess. The four of them looked at her uneasily. "Look, it's strictly business." Jess grabbed a couple of more fries and popped them all in her mouth. She walked out of the cafeteria like a Bratz doll, the full of herself walk and the slutty clothing. Finally, thought Marissa, she was gone.

Seth grabbed the homemade lunch that his mother had prepared for him and walked into the library, wearing his backpack on his shoulders. He went to the furthest table in the back and sat down, taking out his cream cheese sandwich on a bagel and can of soda. He took out the latest issue of _Superman: Series IV_ and opened it up, starting to read it. As his eyes shifted across the comic panels, a kid walked by Seth, grabbing the comic book and throwing it away. Seth looked as the comic was thrown far away to another part of the cafeteria.

"What the hell?" he said automatically, not realizing the big mistake he had just made. The kid grabbed Seth by the collar and lifted him up.

"What did you just say, queer?" asked the kid toughly.

"I said, I was just reading about the demon… from hell," Seth lied uncomfortably. The kid threw Seth down against the edge of the table, and Seth closed his eyes and moaned as his back slammed against it. He then opened his eyes and lazily moved forward toward the comic book. As he picked it up slowly, his eyes drifted onto a small poster with the words COMIC BOOK CLUB written in all capitol letters on it. His mouth dropped open as his hands let go of the comic book and let it hit the floor. He was shocked to see any comic-related thing in the whole school. A comic book club was something else. He didn't know if it was the comics or the meeting new people that excited him, but it was most likely the comics. After all, no person would risk their spot on the food chain and associate with sailing, video game playing, comic book loving, emo geeks. But it didn't matter. Harbor had a comic club, to his surprise, and he was in. He picked up his comic book and put it down on the table next to his lunch as he started to eat.

"Mr. Cohen, I'm begging you," said a woman. "Help my son."

"Mrs. Morale, I'm sorry. I can't take this case. I've told you too many times. I am not the man for this job," he said.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Morale. But you need to stop calling me and find someone who might want to represent your son. I can give you as many numbers as you need. But me? There's nothing I can do."

"They all told me to come to you," she said, crying.

"I'm already deep into another case, and I don't have time for this. It's just too much of a long shot," he insisted.

"He needs help, Mr. Cohen! You have to do something!"

"I'm sorry," he said, sighing. He hung up the phone and stared out of the window for a moment, torn. He really wanted to help this woman. She had been calling him for quite some time, and he kept on rejecting the case. It was not the kind of case Sandy could ever deal with. But the more he rejected the case, the harder the woman tried to convince him to take it, and the harder it hurt for him to say no.

Now in a deep state of thinking, Sandy was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He picked up his phone, holding it up against his ear, still a little distracted by his thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Hi," said Kirsten.

"Hi," he replied with a smile, in the tone of voice that would make his son Seth gag. "How is everything?"

"You know, busy," she answered.

"Same here. I think I've gotten about eight cases in the past two days. One of which I'm actually going to pick up on," he said.

"One? And you had eight to choose from? Sandy, I have to say I'm quite surprised. Everyone knows how you feel for these kids."

"Don't think I don't feel bad."

"Of course you do. That's the Sandy Cohen we all know and love," she said. "So, I've been thinking."

"Yes…" said Sandy.

"You know, work has been really crazy for both of us, and I thought maybe we could… you know… tonight."

"How can I resist an offer like that?" he said, smiling. Kirsten let out a small laugh.

"Okay then. See you tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

As the bell rang, the students of Harbor High swarmed out of their classrooms and rushed out of the school. Marissa squeezed herself through a large crowd of people, holding large binder in her hands. She opened the door to a classroom with a teacher waiting at a desk with a coffee on it.

"You're here for Social Chair, I assume?" she asked.

"Yeah," Marissa said nervously.

"I'm sure you'll do great," said the woman, smiling. "Marissa, right? I thought I'd see you here."

"How did you…?"

"This is Newport, honey. Word gets around." Marissa smiled.

"Well, it's not really working in my favor," she began. "For some reason, I'm not too popular with one of my teachers. Appearently, she's been doing her research."

"She doesn't have to research, Marissa. When your parents came to Newport, things just weren't the same. Hell, even when your father brought your mother to prom, people were shocked. I mean, no offense, but your mom wasn't the most classy lady there. Nobody expected to see a Riverside street rat with Jimmy Cooper. And nobody took it worse than Pamela Groblint. I remember that prom like it was yesterday. Anyway, I should get back to the point---"

"Hold on a second. Pamela Groblint?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact---"

"She's a teacher here. My teacher," said Marissa.

"Ouch. Talk about bad luck. Buckle up, Ms. Cooper. I think it's safe to say that this year is going to be rough."

"Well," began Marissa. "When I start with her, I think this whole little game of hers can reverse," Marissa said. The woman just laughed.

"My name is Mrs. Carlson," she said courteously. "So do you think anyone has the guts to come in here and face you for Social Chair?" The two of them looked outside and notice girls about to walk in, but running away at the sight of Marissa. After a couple of seconds, Taylor opened the door and walked in, already talking.

"So, I decided that we should get started on the carnival soon," she started. "It is in two and a half weeks, after all. So, I have the plans in my locker---"

"Hey! I'm guessing you didn't notice Ms. Cooper," said the teacher, smiling falsely while she felt like it was about to get a little louder in the room.

"Well, is Ms. Cooper lost?" Taylor asked, giving off her typical, perky smile.

"Your concern for her is very overwhelming," said Mrs. Carlson. "But I think we're all in the right place. We should get started."

"Wait," Taylor started. "If it's just the two of us, we might as well settle it right now."

"Well, if you would let me continue---"

"It's Taylor."

"Taylor, then maybe we could start. Now, I'd like to inform you both that you are going to each give speeches at Freshman Retreat. The winner will be decided then, and will not be announced but instead the two of you will be e-mailed the results. Clear?"

"Marissa, did you write that down?" asked Taylor as Marissa shot her a look. This girl was really bothering her right now.

"Now, the winner of the election will not only get an e-mail saying that she won, but also instructions for the carnival. I'm not going to say much, but this year's carnival looks like it will be quite interesting. Marissa seems to know what she's doing. And you Taylor… well like I said, it will definitely be quite interesting. Any questions?"

"I'm just anxious to get started. It's pretty clear that I'm going to win. I assume all is done here?"

"Yes, Taylor. Feel free to leave," said Mrs. Carlson. Taylor walked out of the room, the teacher standing there with Marissa. The two of them gave each other a look. That girl was something else.

Seth sat at a desk in an empty classroom with the newest issue of _Legion_. He picked it up, and as he opened it a large ball slammed into the window of the classroom. A kid walked out of the large pool outside and went to get the ball. As he got back in, Seth curiously watched the kids in the pool, playing the sport that had changed from a game into a phenomenon – water polo.

"I never really understood this water-polo thing," he said to himself. He walked back to his desk and picked up his comic again.

Outside of the classroom, a massive group of kids exited the pool, grabbing towels as they got out. As everyone dried themselves off, the coach took out a pad and begin to make an announcement.

"Okay, everybody, I've decided to allow fifteen students to the next cut," said the coach. "If I call your name, please stay with me for a couple of minutes. If not, you're free to go. Okay, here we go. Bret Jones, Jason Nordland, Mike Tyler, Adam Shefsky, Luke Ward, Josh Geller, Dan Eidus, Jake Ringer, Jordan Skyler, Blake Thomson, Nick Morris, Kevin Iceman, David Sennet, Sam Leerer, Marc Short… please stay for a moment. The rest of you may leave." A large group of people started exiting the pool area, and Luke and a couple of his friends remained along with a couple of other kids. "All right, all of you have made it to the next cut. I expect to see you all tomorrow after school, right here. You don't show, you won't make it. It's as simple as that. Now, get going, guys," said the coach, now walking off. All of the boys dispersed, Luke and Nordland the only ones left in the area.

"You know, we're all going to the beach tonight, dude," said Luke to Nordland. "You should come."

"Yeah? Would that be cool?" he asked.

"Definitely. Just be there at eight… but I'm warning you, there are going to be some hot girls there," Luke said, smiling.

"Definitely up for some of that," he replied, smiling back at Luke.

"Cool," said Luke, taking out a pen and a little piece of paper from his bag and hastily scribbling something on it. "Here's the address."

"Thanks man," he said as he took the note from Luke. "Hey, do you know this girl, Holly Fischer?"

"Yeah, we went to elementary school together. Why?" asked Luke curiously.

"I saw her today, and…" he began.

"And?" Luke asked, smiling. "Are you going to go for her?"

"Should I?" he asked. "She's pretty hot."

"Are you kidding me? That girl is… tonight, man. You better go for her. She's known to be pretty easy, so you need to get her fast," he said.

"All right," said Nordland, smirking at him before walking away. Luke stood there a minute, as Seth approached the window. Seth just stared at Luke through the window, unable to continue with his comic book. Luke turned around and noticed Seth, making and angry face. Seth immediately got the hint and looked away a Luke angrily turned from him and walked out of the pool area. Seth stood there and stared out the window. What did these guys have that he didn't?

"I can't believe this. Where is Taryn?" asked Julie, infuriated.

"Julie, would you just calm down?" said Betty.

"This is yogalates. You need to let yourself relax and forget all about your situation," began a woman sitting next to Betty on the floor, coming a little closer to Julie as she continued. "Unless, of course, you want to tell us what's going on?"

"I am not saying anything until I fix this. I'm leaving," said Julie angrily as she got up from the floor.

"Julie!" said Joan.

"Goodbye, ladies," she said as she walked towards the door. She walked into the parking lot and got into her car, slamming the door as she began to drive. Speeding down the highway with her foot crushing the gas pedal, she slowly came into a beautiful part of Newport. She found herself surrounded by gorgeous flowers, incredible trees, crispy water, and enormous houses. Julie slowly pulled into the house, commonly known as the Baker Empire. For Julie, the property wasn't so great, because her house was valued at almost the same amount of money as the one she was in, and was equally beautiful. But for others in Newport, outside of the Newpsies, Taryn Baker's house was everything they had been dreaming of and more. Julie quickly got out of her car and stormed onto the doorstep, pounding on the door until someone answered.

"Julie?" said Taryn curiously as she opened the door. "This is a surprise."

"Save it, Taryn," she said hostilely as she walked into the house.

"What's going on?" she said as Julie looked around the inside of the house. "Julie, what are you doing?"\

"Why weren't you at yogalates?" she said, Taryn remaining silent. Julie rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous. I'm just going to get right to it. I was pretty shocked to hear Betty and Joan tell me about Caribbean Night, considering I never told them. And when they told me it was your idea," said Julie, Taryn rushing to say something – anything.

"Wait – what?"

"Please, Taryn. I know you took my idea. You're going to pay for this, one way or another. Unless, of course, you plan on letting me take it from here?"

"Julie, you're in no condition to plan a big event," she said bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not sure what the problem here is, but you should go. September eighteenth – be there." Taryn pshed Julie out of her house and slammed the door. Taryn stood against the door, nervous to see what would come out of this. On the other side, Julie did the same, wondering what she would do to solve this debacle. How could someone part of her own group grab hold of her idea like this?

"I'm coming," said Sandy as he quickly approached the front of the house. "Seth?" Sandy opened the door, Seth standing outside.

"Hey, Dad," he said imperceptibly. "How are you?"

"How was it?" asked Sandy delightedly, walking him into the kitchen where Kirsten was talking on the phone. As the two of them came into the room, Kirsten pressed the end button and hung up the phone, smiling. She turned to the two of them, and immediately walked over to Seth and hugged him.

"How was your first day?" she asked happily.

"It was, you know, as good as any other day in school."

"Did you make any new friends?" asked Kirsten.

"Well, there was the guy who… no, no. Scratch that," he said. "Wait. There was the kid asked me to pick up his pencil."

"Did you talk to Summer?" Sandy asked.

"Summer? Summer Roberts?" Seth asked, as if his father was insane. "Well that's an easy one. No."

"Come on Seth. I'm sure if you just talk to her, she'll love you. I'm sure if you talk to anyone, they'll love you. You have a quick wit, you love to read comics, you, you…"

"That doesn't get you to fit in with these guys, Dad," he said.

"Well, what does?"

"Um, I don't know. Shaving your chest?"

"Well, how are the classes?" Kirsten asked.

"They suck," he said naturally. "It's fine, just forget about it. It' not like school is any different than I expected it would be. Let's just not talk about it anymore," he said, pausing. "So, you're home kind of early today. What's going on?"

"Yeah. I needed a break from work. It's pretty crazy in the office," Kirsten admitted.

"And by it you mean Grandpa?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he owns this place. He defines crazy. What better man for the head job in the Newport Group than him?" Seth said.

"And what better man than the owner of Newport to hate me?" Sandy said.

"Get used to it, Dad. This is Orange County. Nothing ever works out," he said.

"That's not true," said Kirsten. The two of them shot her a look. "Not completely."


End file.
